Nick Mehall is to leave his position of president and CEO of US wine and spirits distributor Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) after three years at the helm.
Bob Hendrickson, COO of the company, has been appointed as the interim CEO, effective 3 March.
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RNDC did not respond to Just Drinks‘ requests for comment on the reason behind Mehall’s departure.
Hendrickson most recently served as senior commercial advisor and previously held an executive vice president role. He also worked previously at E &J Gallo Winery and Julius Schepps.
“As a board, we are committed to further accelerating RNDC’s growth in 2025 and as a respected leader with a deep understanding of RNDC’s business, culture, and the evolving marketplace, we are pleased to have Bob transition from commercial advisor to the board to this interim role,” RNDC board member Marc Sachs said.
Mehall joined RNDC in 2017 as CFO and became president and CEO in early 2022.
During his tenure, RNDC said it expanded nationally, incorporated “a robust digital commerce strategy, and enhanced supplier partnerships, driving projected sales of $12.2bn across a 40-market footprint”.
The business said it “will begin” its hunt for a permanent chief executive and that “further updates” would be given “in due course”.
Headquartered in Texas, the US distributing major operates across the country in 39 states, and the District of Columbia. These include California, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida and Oregon.
Sachs added: “While the industry continues to face headwinds and unprecedented change, we are confident that his [Hendrickson’s] experience, operational expertise, and strong industry relationships will provide steady leadership and the stability our supplier partners and customers seek as we move forward.”
Earlier this week, a new study from the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) revealed that both wine and spirits had seen significant depletions in 2024.
Revenues derived from spirits and wine dropped 4.3% and 6.3% respectively last year, according to the report, while volumes were down 3.7% and 7.2%.
Consumers are not trading up as they consume less – the premiumisation trend is all but dead with the exception of a few categories,” the WSWA said.
